As the Arizona Complex League gets underway Saturday, player development leaders across the sport are wrestling with two significant changes to the landscape. The season begins over a month earlier than before and will wrap up just after the draft in July, significantly changing who will play at the rookie league level.
MLB’s move to limit domestic minor league rosters to 165 players beginning this season also puts an extra strain on clubs to find a way to cover all the innings that pitchers will need to throw before then. Because the Padres have made a habit in recent years of keeping many pitchers out of official competition after the draft, the organization may see fewer changes than some, but still need some arms at the lowest level to step up in this season.
Because the majority of the club’s international free agent signees last year and this have signed for $10,000 or less to accommodate the large bonuses paid to Ethan Salas and Leodalis De Vries, the Padres’ ACL squad doesn’t have many high-profile prospects on the roster. However, the team is starting to show some ability to sign and develop older pitchers from Latin America and will look to build on that trend this year.
About the Level
Before you head to a ‘Fire League’ game, forget everything you think you know about what professional sports looks like. Games are often played on the back fields of teams’ complexes, with only a handful of people who aren’t team employees or players’ families in attendance. You’ll need to bring your chair, drinks, and snacks. Even with the pitch clock, be prepared for games to last more than three hours if they go the full nine innings.
The ACL is entirely about development rather than team results. Teams have the right to agree in advance to play shortened games. Pitch counts rather than game situations dictate work on the mound, and even with two scheduled off days most weeks, players get more frequent rest with active rosters of 30 players or more.
Three Questions with Director of Player Development Ryley Westman
MadFriars: With the changes to the complex leagues this year, what does that mean for pitching workloads?
Ryley Westman: Ultimately, the only people it really changes are the draft kids. We’re typically playing extended spring games all the way up to the start of their season, so really we’re just moving live, real games. Quite honestly, it doesn’t change a whole lot. We’re going to keep bodies active after the season in ‘gap camp’ to be ready to go out to affiliates.
What does it mean for you to have more looks in competition at guys who will be repeating the level this year?
Ryley Westman: One, that they’re built up a little more – as far as physically and experience being in professional baseball. So likely, we’re adding more innings onto those guys and give them more game reps and us more opportunities to view them.
Donte Grant is the rare high school undrafted free agent position player. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
With so much of the roster being made up of lower-profile signees, who are some names the fan base might not be familiar with who will get exposure during the season?
Ryley Westman: Ismael Javier, coming over from the Dominican Republic, has been an interesting young shortstop. Spence Coffman is super-athletic and really just needed some experience and game reps, so we’re looking for him to step up this year. Yendry Rojas is a talented young man that we’d like to get a little more consistency in his game play.
Donte Grant is an outfielder who has real speed and we’re excited to see him get more action. He’s had a really good extended program and I think can really swing the bat. And then a couple of those pitchers we’re bringing over from the Dominican, Kleiber Olmedo and Yovannki Pascual. Those would be some of the primary names.
Who to Watch
In addition to the players identified by Westman, a few players caught our interest during spring training and should be worth monitoring through the season.
Langston Burkett impressed as an undrafted free agent. (Photo: Jerry Espinoza)
With the club’s international budget allocated to the top player in each of the last two signing classes and a draft budget that was down almost six million dollars last year, the club has been aggressive in the undrafted free agent market, even locking up a few rare high school students in the process. In addition to Grant, who signed out of Washington state, the club also signed righty Langston Burkett out of the high school ranks. The Santa Cruz native already cuts an imposing figure on the mound at a listed 6-foot-6, 230 pounds. His heavy fastball was sitting at 93-94 in his outings this spring and he got bad contact from some far more advanced lefthanded hitters when we saw him in action. He just turned 19 last month, so he has plenty of runway to grow into his stuff.
Fellow righty Dane Lais, drafted out of high school in Oregon in the 13th round also bears watching. He scuffled through some arm soreness during the spring, but the still-18-year-old should be ready to go for the season. Though he’s not quite as physical as Burkett, he has a more developed arsenal at this point and has a frame that projects more to come.
Among the players coming stateside for the first time this year, Jesus Castro put up a strong .272/.411/.482 line as an 18-year-old in the DSL last year. The Venezuelan catcher connected on five homers while keeping his strikeout rate at 19% in his first season of professional baseball. He’ll likely see some action at first base and perhaps elsewhere on the infield to get his switch-hitting bat as much exposure as possible.
Braian Salazar was a key member of the Padres’ 2022 international free agency class, but he didn’t pitch as the youngest signee. With a projectable lefty frame, he had big expectations when he came stateside last year, but struggled with arm injuries that limited him to just eight innings. He’s healthy and will get a chance to stretch out this season. If he’s been able to add strength and velocity during his rehab period, the 18-year-old has a chance to garner plenty of attention heading into 2025.
Active Roster
| LHP | Catchers |
| Adler Cecil | Jacob Campbell |
| Igor Gil | Jesus Castro |
| Luis Gutierrez | Kaden Hollow |
| Yovannki Pascual | Lamar King, Jr. |
| Zimo Qin | Addison Kopack |
| Braian Salazar | |
| RHP | Infielders |
| Zac Addkison | Alain Camou |
| Langston Burkett | BY Choi |
| Bernard Jose | Spence Coffman |
| Dane Lais | Ismael Javier |
| Aldo Leija | Ethan Long |
| Jesus Lopez | Yendry Rojas |
| Maikel Miralles | Hugo Sanchez |
| Kleiber Olmedo | Outfielders |
| Abraham Parra | Kashon Conliffe |
| Miguel Valdez | Donte Grant |
| Joshua Mears | |
| Daniel Montesino |
Who Isn’t Playing
While De Vries is already in full-season ball, the organization is also excited about fellow 2024 international free agent, righthanded pitcher Humberto Cruz. He is not yet on the U.S. roster, but the Padres anticipate getting him stateside in the coming weeks. The 17-year-old from Monterrey, Mexico, will likely be built up slowly as the youngest pitcher who will work at the Peoria Sports Complex this year.
Kannon Kemp, Tucker Musgrove, and Adler Cecil, a trio of draftees from last year, are all in various stages of delay because of injury. Musgrove, who had Tommy John surgery just after signing last summer, won’t see competitive action until 2025. Kemp has been dealing with a shoulder impingement since early in spring and has officially been put on the 60-day IL to free up active roster spots.The 19-year-old earned the second highest bonus in the Padres’ draft class to sign out of high school in Texas as an eighth-rounder last year. Cecil has been working in the rehab group and is relatively close to getting into games.
Catcher Lamar King, Jr. is still recovering from knee surgery he underwent after instructional league action last fall and is not expected to be ready to start DHing until later in the summer.
Editor’s Note: This piece was edited to correct reflect that Humberto Cruz is a righthanded pitcher and to reinsert information on Braian Salazar that was inadvertently omitted from the original version.
